A Day to Remember : Monuments and Paintings

Today I, along with some students, had the fortune of attending "Clean Monument Campaign", a clean up drive and a poster making competition organised by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and BTDT (Been there Doon that).
The clean up drive comprised of cleaning the surroundings of a monument known as "Samadhi Sthal" meaning cemetery. The ashes of a leader of "Udasi" culture are buried and a monument is constructed over it for paying respect and remembrance. Udasi is a religious, ascetic sect of Sikhism.

Since more students and volunteers showed up than expected, which is a rather good thing, the gloves fell short. So, some of us lent one of our gloves, so two people could wear a pair of gloves, as each one wore one on their right hand. It was a good sight, seeing so many people working together to protect our heritage.

Pic credits : Been there Doon that

After the clean up drive, the students were divided into two groups, which in turn got to attend a lecture from  Mrs. Shipra, Superintendent at the Archaeological Survey Of India. I don't know about the others, but for me, it was certainly a treat to the ears. She told us about the different layers of paintings in different schools. For example, a method called surkhi is used typically in Rajasthani and Garhwal schools of paintings. She told us about different types of damages inflicted on the monuments by either human or natural activities.

Pic credits : Been there Doon that

A specific question I wanted to ask her was that if the material used is not available, then how is the restoration done. She told me that the material used is analysed in every way possible and then they try to form the same material for the restoration. If the case is as I mentioned above, the material is not available, then the artifact is preserved as it is.
After that, a poster making competition was held. I painted an archway, which was really beautiful.

Overall, today was a day I will remember fondly.

Dark and stormy night

The weather had turned stormy overnight. The wind howled as the sky lit up in a flash, then everything went back in oblivious darkness. He pulled the duvet over his head, closing his eyes shut tightly, trying to picture things he'd like to see. A tree fell in the street with a thud, startling him. He wondered when his parents would be back home. He shivered in the cold, the duvet wasn't warm enough, so he curled up in a ball and started to imagine what it would be like to be an astronaut.

Expectations

Writing.
A word I often say when I'm asked what do i like to do. And it's the truth. Well, most of the time.
I love to write. Creating something from nothing, that is what it feels like. But you know, anything is easy when you're doing it just for fun, but as soon as expectations get involved (even your own), it turns into something tedious. Something too tough to pursue. Think about it. It applies to everything: writing, painting, acting even playing. Ever thought about what kind of pressure the people on the field feel as they have the expectations all the whole country bundled up on their shoulders. How different would it have been when they used to play with their friends, just for fun. No doubt, when they win and fulfill the expectation, the success is sweeter than a match with their friends, but that isn't what we are talking about, is it?

As for me, I feel like the expectations I've put for myself are an awful lot, but the problem is I can't seem to lessen them. In a way, it's a blessing in disguise, because if I can't lessen the expectations, I can't give up writing, the only way is to fulfill those expectations, right? That's what I think. I'll be taking part in NaNoWriMo this year too, but the different thing I expect than the last two years is that I expect to win. New expectation, see? But this one feels good to have. I've just had a special someone tell me that I should write a book, and I should start writing it 'now'. Besides mine, I have someone else's expectations too, to fulfill. And, I will fulfill those expectations, because I believe that I can get better at writing.

I have a lot of favourite poems, but I'd end this blogpost with the first line as well as the title of one that I really like.
"Hope is the thing with feathers-"

Starting "Fangirl"

So...I've just started reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I've read only 2 chapters so far, but I can tell it's going to be one of my favourites.
Here's the summary-

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

******

I'm really really liking this book. Anyway, I should probably just go back to reading. And yeah, I was thinking of writing a review after finishing the book. I hope I do write it, because I usually consider myself underqualified to write a review, which is stupid of me since I know anyone can write their views on a book, plus I can write anything on my blog. 

Anyway, have a good day. 

Bye!

Walking in the Woods : A poem

Walking in the Woods

The twigs and leaves
cracked under his feet
but he moved along
noticing every weed

The sun climbed the horizon
and did so softly
He plucked thorns from himself
and moved along deftly

He looked at everything
yet saw nothing.
The melody inside his head,
the way she used to sing.

The pine leaves.
left spaces for sunlight to fall
And her voice, what reminded him of it,
was the bird's call.

~Punya

Your Wake Up Call.

I haven't written anything on here for a while. I liked this video and I think it's something I should share. :)

Dereliction

Words are fragments

Of our thoughts

Which we try 

To save from dereliction

World is cruel

Tainted, things are 

Gregariousness,

Is only a facade.

Hatred is smeared

On the character

Of every 

Person.

Random Friday: Places for Summer vacation

Hey there,

There are a lot of places I'd like to visit (self admitted possessor of wanderlust :P), but there are only a few actually accessible to me. Out of the accessible ones too, I won't be going anywhere this summer for some reasons.
Anyway, the list is:

1. Dublin, Ireland

I've always wanted to go to Ireland. And I will. Someday. I hope that someday is soon, because I think Ireland is picturesque!

2. Paris, France

I know, I know. Cliche... but I can't help it. I want to eat a croissant in Paris! and.... kiss under the Eiffel tower. :P

3. Rome, Italy

All I really want to see is the Colosseum..
Well, it's a historical city I really wouldn't mind touring.

4. Kerela, India

I want to visit the backwaters! I've heard so much about Kerela's beauty... I'd love to witness it with my own eyes.

5. Gangtok, Sikkim, India

I've read about Gangtok about 3 years ago and I can't wait to visit it. :)
My favourite season is winter, which explains why I'd like to go there.

6. Amsterdam, Netherlands

No surprise here :P
I am going to travel to Amsterdam. And that is going to happen soon. (I hope *sigh*)
I am even learning Dutch. And I'm very interested in visiting the Anne Frank house!




Well, that's it. Not really though... there are hundreds of more places I'd like to visit, but for now, these should suffice.
Anyway, bye!


Love, Punya

Plans for 2015!

Hey guys,

Long time, no see? (:
I wanted to write a new blogpost on new year, but I couldn't. Anyway, better late than never, right?

So... I don't think I'm going to write about any kind of resolutions, because I don't keep them anyway. :P
But I hope this year includes the following:

1.An extravagant amount of reading!

So, yeah, you're going to find me with my nose buried in a book almost all the time.  (Not that it doesn't happen already, but still.). I have bought SO many books this year, but haven't read much because of my upcoming Board Exams in March... *sigh* 
I am going to cover up all the reading that I haven't done this year.


2. A LOT of writing

Btw I totally love this pic ^
I love typewriters even more... How I wish I had one.
Anyhow, I have to do all the writing with a pen and paper this year. I want to do a course in Creative writing too. I have a lot of ideas for stories that I've saved up in 2014, and I hope to expand each one of them into full fledged stories, this year.

3.A New Language

Yes, I do plan to learn German this year. I'd love to learn a new language. Especially German. I'm not really sure of my plans right now, but after graduation, I'd like to got to Heidelberg, Germany for further studies. And learning a new language would also mean exploring new literature, which I'd love to do.

4.Baking!

I want to learn as many things this year, as I can, and baking would be one of them. I thought as I love all the baked stuff so much, it'd be nice if I learnt how to bake. Especially cupcakes.

5.Blogging

I'd like to update my blogs more often this year. And I'm sure this year would be eventful and I'd have lots to write about.

Thanks for reading!

That's all

*Virtual poatoes again for reading*

You can make hash browns instead of french fries this time... (;

Love,

Punya

NaNoWriMo!

Hey everyone!

I'm so excited for NaNoWriMo. For all those who don't know what that is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month i.e. November. It basically is for aspiring writers, who try to write a novel in a month. Sounds intimidating, doesn't it? (; Well, it isn't. Anyone can give it a try. And in my opinion, everyone should. I believe that everyone has a story to tell. If you want to know more, here's the link to Nanowrimo's website-
nanowrimo.org

But for writers aged below 17, there's something called 'Young Writer's Program'. I am taking part in Nanowrimo under this. Link would be-
ywp.nanowrimo.org

Go ahead, give it a try!

I have started writing, though to be honest, I don't have any plot in m mind. I just randomly wrote something that came to my mind. Now I am having trouble in continuing the story. :(
So, I wrote 3 diffferent scenes with the same character/ characters, that I type in Microsoft Word, and this is weird because I always loved writing using a pen and paper.
The possible explanation is that I like reading, and when I see the words on a white document, in a particular font, I imagine it as a novel that has already been written, so I just imagine what I would read further, and thus, I create a new story. Ta-da! :P

I was experiencing a writer's block, (Even though I am not a writer. Not yet, anyway.) And i found this blog post helpful. I hope it helps you too. (:
http://thenovelfactory.blogspot.in/2014/07/block-busting-beating-writers-block.html


Well, that's it I guess.
Thanks for reading!
*Virtual potatoes for reading my blog post* :P
You can make french fries! (:

Love, Punya

Ironical Quote by Augustus...

Hey,

I've been thinking of writing something for a while now, but I just couldn't figure out 'what' to write. A few days back, someone I know quoted Augustus Waters from The Fault In Our Stars saying, "I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up." That made me think about the irony of the statement.

Augustus Waters was dying, the cancer cells were multiplying at a fast rate, and about the scan, as he said, "it lit up like a Christmas tree." So, if the roller coaster he talks about could be 'cancer', the roller coaster was certainly only going up, and unfortunately wouldn't descend.

Whereas, when we read the book (or watch the movie), we take it that the metaphor he's using i.e. the roller coaster, is 'life'. We think that he's optimistic and now he's lost the touch of cancer he had and now his life is good. It's kinda sad how wrong we turn out to be. Don't you think? #rhetorical question

(I should probably start ending all my blog posts with a rhetorical question.)

Here's a virtual chocolate for you, for reading my blogpost. (; *hands out chocolate*

Love,
Punya

Me and the Un-relatable Characters.

Hey guys,

I recently returned from a trip, and it was a really good experience. So, maybe i should be writing about my experiences from the trip, but I won't. Instead of it, I want to write about something I thought when I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Paper Towns. Speaking of it, I finally finished "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan.

The book was nice. Actually, I couldn't really make sense of it in the starting. Turned out, alternate chapters switched POV's between the two different Will Graysons. The story became interesting when the two Wills meet. 

On t the next book-

So, when I finished reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I started Paper Towns. It's a nice book, I like John Green's characters, they seem real. Quentin and Margo are interesting characters. I'm still reading the book, though I've finished 3/4th of it, already. 

Another book, I had read in January, but I felt like writing about-

Looking For Alaska is John Green's first book, but I read it after reading TFIOS. So, the reason I thought about it was that I was comparing myself to John Green's female protagonists. If anyone knows me, even slightly, they can tell that I am nothing like "Alaska Young", the female protagonist of Looking For Alaska, or like "Margo Roth Spiegelman" from Paper Towns, or even like "Jane" from Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

 I won't go as far as saying that I am not at all like "Hazel Grace Lancaster" from The Fault In Our Stars. Please don't take me as a narcissist, because I am not saying that I am like Hazel. But I am as obsessed with The Fault In Our Stars as she was with An Imperial Affliction, and I like metaphors as much as she did. I would go on and on about the more things we have in common, but I think you get the idea. 

Now, about Alaska and Margo. They are like "VERY" different from me. They are eccentric, outgoing, adventurous and insane. I mean, I am insane too, just a different kind of it. I am neither adventurous nor mysterious, and that was part of the reason that John Green's other books didn't appeal to me as much as TFIOS. I sure liked them, but not enough to be obsessed with them. 

On the other hand, Jane from Will Grayson, Will Grayson is different too. She has this quite extraordinary taste in music, that "I" don't. Infact, I like the songs that more than half the girls of my age like. Well, maybe that is not my field to be unique, and I am Okay with it. And, she's really intelligent too, in science and all. I on the other hand, prefer literature.

I always like characters I can relate to. Everyone does, actually. But for me, it is a kind of necessity to have relatable characters to love the story. I hope one day John Green creates a character like me (Yes, John Green, not any other author.), but I highly doubt it. After all, "The world is not a wish granting factory".

But, "Hope is the only thing stronger than fear".

                                                           John Green (:

Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Hey everyone,

I wanted to write a blog post, but couldn't come up with a topic. I still haven't come up with a topic I can write much on, but it's something atleast.

I'm currently reading "Will Grayson, Will Grayson", written by John Green and David Leuithan. I am a member of a "teen book community" on Google+, and we had to nominate books, so that we could vote and read a book and then discuss about it. I nominated "Will Grayson, Will Grayson". And guess what? It got maximum votes. (:

I had it on my shelf and on my TBR (to-be-read) list since January, I bought it just becuse my favourite author is John Green, and according to me, one should read all the works of one's favourite author.
I have already read The Fault In Our Stars, Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. I have an ebook of Paper Towns, but since I prefer paperbacks, I'll buy one and read it. There was also a book coauthored by John Green, which has short stories.

So, now I've been reading the book, and one of the things I liked was how "Will", hates abbreviations like 'lol' and 'rofl' , because it's kinda true, no one's "rolling on the floor laughing" and Will says-
"Rofl? What? Are you really rolling on the floor laughing? Well, please stay down there a sec while I KICK YOUR ASS." ;D

And, one more thing he says, that's probably relatable to some people is-

"I could spend hours setting up a particular wish-and every time I'd be met with a resounding wall of complete indifference."

That's all, I'll write more about the book when I finish reading it.
Thanks for reading!

Love,
Punya

Watersong series

Hey there!

I recently finished reading tje watersong series by Amanda Hocking, and I can say it was "really" addictive. I had to stay up till 02:00am or so, reading it. I'm not going to include any spoilers in this post, so that anyone who decides to read it, can get their enough share of surprises. This series has 4 books-
1.Wake
2.Lullaby
3.Tidal
4.Elegy





Genre- Paranormal Romance (though, it's more like fantasy)

Rating- 4/5 stars.

Conclusion- I would totally recommend it! You can read it this summer, and the story also has its backdrop in a summer, so I guess that'll be a plus point for anyone who (like me) likes to relate to the story. (:

Happy holidays! And, Happy Reading!

Love,
Punya

JMS's Founder's Day!!

Hey!

Right now I am in D.dun, at my cousin's home. Yesterday was my masi's schools's 65th Founder's Day, and it was AWESOME! Here's the list of the programs with a little description-

1. Lighting of the Ceremonial Lamp- This is an essential part of every function (atleast in India)

2.Invocation- The choir of JMS is simply amazing. They sang Ganesh Stuti.

3.Life at JMS- This was divided into three parts
a. Primary: It began from the first day of a child at school, and the day progresses further, and the child starts enjoying school, makes friends and learns new things. My cousin sister Vedanta (or Veda) was a part of this presentation, and she looked really cute. (:

b.Middle-This part showed how in middle school, we depart from childhood and try to find our own identities My cousin Vinayak, was a part of this presentation, he was supposed to ask questions from a student in a quiz.

c.Senior- Here, the students enacted the carefree attitude we seem to develop once we enter high-school.
And how our friends become the most important part of our lives. The tension of board exams hovering over us was enacted too. This part ended with the depiction of the farewell party we get as we depart from the school. My friend Ranjana, was a part of this presentation.

4.Principal's speech- This was a speech by my Aunt, who happens to be the principal of JMS.

5.Yuvaan- In the words of the comparer it was "the most ravishing performance of the evening". This was the actual theme of the function. This consisted of a lot of performances-

A. Acroyoga- This was Amazing. The positions they formed seemed virtually impossible.

B. The divine light of Mother Nature- This consisted of dance with diyas, all the movements were really graceful.

C.Hoola hoop- The song on which this was performed was absolutely awesome! It was sung by children. the main dancer of this presentation was in 6th standard, and she danced amazingly.

D.Locking, popping, and contemporary (fusion)- This was probably my favourite performance of the evening. It was performed on a mix of various songs, but i liked "Whistle" by Florida the most.

E.Aerial- This was almost breathtaking. The stunts were dangerous, but they were worth it.

F.Rythm and Motion- This was utterly graceful and full of elegance.

G. Bhangra- The Punjabi folk dance. It was really nice, and full of energy. It was performed by students of Class 11th.

H.Beboing

I.Dandiya

J.Classical fusion- I liked this one a lot. I figured out i like fusions. :P

K.Contemporary- My friend was one of the main dancers in it. So i obviously liked it. I like contemporary dance form, actually. And the costumes consisted of black tops and flowing skirts, which looked really nice.

L.Wadia-South Indian Dance form: This was performed by students of class 6th, but they danced Amazingly!

M.Contemporary- This one was performed by Shubhashish Dey, the choreographer of all the dances of Yuvaan. I had never seen such a performance live. It was AMAZING.

N. Finale- This was the conclusion. where all the dances were performed at once. Words can't do justice to this one.

O. Speech by Chief Guest.

-------------------------

The function was really awesome, and missing school for a day was worth it. :)

That's all

Love,
Punya

Deception: a poem.

I wrote this poem yesterday. And, I titled it "deception'.

DECEPTION

No matter how hard we try,
The price of one's actions has to be paid.
There comes a time, when lies come undone
And so does the veil of façade.

People smirk and snarl,
At other's grief and sorrow.
Not even giving a thought,That the same fate
might greet them tomorrow.

They offer sympathy,
Appear kind and affectionate.
While they rejoice on the inside,
Revelling and giving hate.

They must know,
A future full of regrets awaits them.
And, instead of being envied,
They will be condemned.


Please comment your views.(:

Holiday Home..

Hey there!

I usually don't like holidays, but I enjoyed yesterday and today. Yesterday I went to Dehradun, which is my second home. (; there's a big piece of land that my masi owns, which happens to be adjacent to a shallow river. A new house has been recently built there, which had its house warming ceremony a week or two ago. I have only one work to describe the house-"AMAZING!"

It is like my dream holiday home! The house is large and spacious and has a retro feel to it. Unfortunately I am not able to upload pictures. :(
Yesteray was my uncle and aunt's anniversary. So we had a treat! :D
I finished reading "the notebook" by Nicholas Sparks. It was a really nice book.

In the morning we came back to home (my masi owns a school in Dehradun, the house is in the school campus). The children were practicing for an upcoming function- 65th Founder's day! (:
And, now we're finally back home.

My Playlist- part 1

Hey there!

I didn't write anything on my blog, as I was running out of things to write about. So, today I thought, that maybe I should write a post about somthing I haven't written before- "Music!"
This post is going to be about some of the songs that are in my playlist nowadays(on constant repeat);P. There isn't a single day for me, that passes without music. May it be listening to songs, playing piano on my tab or singing (while annoying others ;D) So, without further ado, here's the list-

Ours by Taylor Swift
I loved this song ever since I heard it on VH1. The lyrics are adorable!

One Love by Jennifer Lopez

I was looking for one love by blue, when I found this song. And I love it.

You and I by One Direction

this needs no explanation. The video just came out, and I got addicted to the song once again.

I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift

I love this song! I know how to play Iit on the piano, so I guess that's a plus point. (;

I think that's enough. To be continued... (;

Family time! (:

Hello everyone!

Yesterday, I went to Dehradun, which is a 2 hour drive from where I live. My relatives and cousins live in D.dun. Yesterday, I met my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins who are here for a vacation. They live in London, England. I had met them once, but never really talked to them. This time, I got to know them a little better, and it was fun. (:

I had heard my mother talk about my aunt, and I was the one who pressed for more details, because she sounded a bit like me. She also read the same authors that I had read, when I first developed the habit of reading. This time when I met her, I asked her to suggest me some authors to read, she named- Stephen King, Jacqueline Wilson, Tracy Beaker etc.

Another thing that I liked was, the "accent". My cousins were born and brought up in London, and thus they have British accent, that I like a lot. :D I don't have an accent, but I wish I did.

That's all. Thanks for reading!

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

Hey everyone!

I am reading Villette by Charlotte Brontë currently, and I have a good opinion about the book. The summary, as at the back of the book is-
"Based on Charlotte Brontë's personal experience as a teacher in Brussels, Villette is a tale of repressed feelings and subjection to cruel circumstance and position, borne with heroic fortitude.

Rising above the frustrations of confinement within a rigid social order, it is also the story of a woman's right to love and to be loved."

I've never been a big fan of classics, but that is because I never tried to develope interest in them. The protagonist of this story is, Lucy snowe, and I like her.
I'm liking the book, so far.

That's all. (: